A couple of ISP's there block all fansites to all products. It's not so bad in the central area of Kyoto, but where I live on the very outer edge of the Ukyo ward normal internet is not all that great.

I have not heard that BrickForge.com is banned in those countries. Some fans must still be able to get through as we do ship to many customers there. But I will say that most of our customers from those countries are performing group purchases - which I assumed was because of a language barrier. Perhaps it is due to an accessibility barrier. This is precisely why we rely on resellers and wholesalers to deliver our products to the public.

Unfortunately, I doubt there is anything I can do specifically to cause an internet service provider to open up our URL to their customers. If anyone has specific names of these companies I am open to drafting a letter to them.

With everyone having to work this place can sure be quiet,Hope you all are fairing well if you're in the bad weather zones!

I was directed to a really good tutorial for creating life like hair on my tablet yesterday. I will be applying those things to my current projects for my daughter. I will hopefully have a piece to post (or a parcial) by next weekend.

_________________... being customized ... by the Master ... ><>minfig art!

I've been pretty quiet on the forums the past few months, with a few quick updates here and their about what I've been up to. I've had many posts written that I decided not to submit, but this time I'll post this one. Since the new year, I got my schedule switched and had some stressful things happen at work. People have been fired (some for the better, some unfortunate). The boss that switched my schedule and made a ton of changes that shook up the place abruptly quit 2 Thursday before last. In the mean time, I think I posted that the one assistant supervisor was fired (very good decision) but the same day, the union contract was agreed to. That wiped out a job opportunity I wasn't really sure I wanted. Well, last week Friday when I found out the production manager quit, I saw my schedule was reduced to 3 days. That gives me 24 hrs a week. I can't live off of that and barely scraped by with the 30ish hrs I was getting. Without getting into politics, a certain health care program has put businesses in a position to be forced to offer coverage to those getting over 28 or 30 hours. So I was stuck because I had been slightly above the average. I called the plant manager (who had just been rehired) and asked him what I could do about the schedule. He told me that as soon as something came up, he would do what he could to get my hours back up. He didn't know how long that would be, and honestly, I don't think we could manage have gone into March with my pay being what it was. So I get to work on Friday and get told he wants to see me in the office after I punch in......They offered me the assistant supervisor job which is a full time position. He gave me until Monday to think it over. I accepted the position before the end of the day. I'll still be in the union and won't be allowed to discipline workers, but I will be able to manage them. The pay is only 25 cents more than I was making from being on the fork lift, but I'll be getting 40 hours and possibly more. After 3 months, I am eligible for vacation and sick time (which I don't have now) and hopefully I will be able to get the bonus other full time people get. So even though I didn't really want that spot, I absolutely needed it to stay afloat. The best part for me is that the stress that my wife has been under is going to ease up, and that is what matters most to me.

*Short Version - I accepted the assistant supervisor job at my work place*

_________________"I might be a few bricks short of a wall, but they are Lego bricks. Watch where you step, because they hurt like a #*%$#"

@QBlade: that's awesome that you have a chance at fulltime work. Truly, even if not the perfect job its a good thing, Congrats!

Thanks MC!! I have to approach this job differently than the one I had 2 years ago. This time I have some support from management. I'm not responsible for every little aspect of the mailroom like I had been before. It is different on a few levels, mostly for the good.

Quote:

@Qblade: You can't discipline them? I don't understand how "protection of workers rights" (heavy air quotes) should in any war bar disciplining them. Unions sound horribly messed up.

The assistant supervisor (or assistant foreman as they call it) prior to the union had the right to write up people and/or send them home. The one that got fired recently abused her power. The company is to blame for letting her get away with it and she manipulated the system. The assistants the past few years have abused their power in one way or another and that is what led the union to eliminate the position as it is. So I can't write up anyone or send them home. I can however report to my boss or a member of management anything that warrants punishment and let them deal with it accordingly. Not all unions are the same, but I've had nothing but bad experiences with them. This one in particular is a joke. Our union representative had 2 pages full of criminal records and that in in just one county. In our "contract" we are not allowed to go on strike, which is the biggest bargaining chip a union can have.

_________________"I might be a few bricks short of a wall, but they are Lego bricks. Watch where you step, because they hurt like a #*%$#"

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 7:08 pmPosts: 2694Location: The bridge of the Tristram

Quickblade wrote:

Not all unions are the same, but I've had nothing but bad experiences with them. This one in particular is a joke. Our union representative had 2 pages full of criminal records and that in in just one county. In our "contract" we are not allowed to go on strike, which is the biggest bargaining chip a union can have.

Perhaps not all, but from what I hear most are pretty bad. Maybe not quite as bad as yours though, that sounds pretty bad.

edit: Can someone tell me what the deal is with FWD cars? It seems like you could have two otherwise identical cars, but with one being FWD and the other being RWD and the FWD one would have better efficiency. Is it just the drive line between the engine and rear end that causes this? If so, could a mid or rear engine RWD car be as efficient as a FWD?

_________________"...and not be a lame, boring adult with no toys or hobbies."-Napoleon Flickr

Unions: They were necessary back in the days of the Robber Barons and company towns, but they are just another protection racket in this day and age, from what I've seen.

So, my brother and his family were over on Saturday, and we had a good visit with them. Sunday, my brother-in-law's Minecraft server went down, which was okay, since I'd recently been inspired to make something out of LEGO, so I spent all day Sunday working on a new ship. It's almost done: Just needs some light gun mounts and the aft missile launcher (along with a few other details) and I'll be ready to post some teaser pics. I need to wait for my order of BECC cloth flags to arrive from the UK....

Sentinal: the shorter drive train is possibly one reason that FWD cars tend to be more efficient. The other is that FWD cars tend to have better traction and handing (I've driven up hills in my car that were almost to icy to stand up on before).... At least that's my theory.

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